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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Howard Dean is now a coping mechanism for the Un-Inevitables.

With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton back in Iowa on a four-day swing that could easily be dubbed the “Inevitability Tour,” the rest of the Democratic field is reminding voters — and themselves — that a fall front-runner doesn’t have a lock on the Iowa caucus or the White House.

“We lived through it before,” said John Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, at the Johnson County Democrats barbecue here Saturday.

In the fall of 2003, Dean appeared to be way ahead in New Hampshire and battled former Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt for the lead in most Iowa polls. By December, some political pundits called him “inevitable.” A month later, Dean spectacularly flamed out (so did Gephardt).

The suggestion that Clinton could be the next Dean discounts the fact that she is far more seasoned, controlled and savvy. But her rivals are increasingly offering the history lesson as a way to slow whatever momentum Clinton gathered after a week that put her ahead in both fundraising and polling.

“Look where this race was four years ago,” New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democratic candidate running fourth in most Iowa polls, said Sunday on ABC’s "This Week." “In Iowa, for instance, Sen. [John] Kerry and Sen. Edwards were third and fourth today, and they ended up being first and second. So I am hopeful.”

The target of all this reminiscing about the past is Clinton, who received more good news Sunday with a Des Moines Register poll that shows she sits in first place in Iowa. The poll found 29 percent of likely caucus-goers preferred Clinton, 23 percent favored Edwards and 22 percent went for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Her rivals spent the weekend in Iowa watering the seeds of doubt. The criticism is subtle, but it’s there — in the stump speeches, the remarks to the media, the literature pressed into voters' palms, sticky with barbecue sauce.

Edwards continued his attack on Clinton for supporting a Senate resolution that designates Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization — a measure some on the Democratic left believe could begin laying the groundwork for military action.

“You need to be aware of your choices,” Edwards instructed Johnson County Democrats. “I differed with her on that and I wonder, if George Bush goes to war, six months from now, are we going to hear again, 'If only I'd known then what I know now?’ ”

Randall Rolph, an Iowan who attended a forum Sunday in New Hampton, piled on over Iran, drawing Clinton into an unusually-curt verbal exchange. He criticized her vote, and she essentially accused him of being a plant, saying she’s heard the exact same question at other stops.

“I take exception,” Rolph said. “This is my own research.”

Clinton apologized. Rolph later told reporters he came with open mind, but would no longer consider her.

Readers' Comments (327)

Hillary, as much as I hate her, looks like a shoe in to me. I thought Dean was set up for a fall by the press and way to much was made of his "primal" scream. All it proves is how much control the media has over politics. They are the real scum.

Hillary came close to having her "Howard Dean moment" - the day of the laugh - but she seems to have survived it, and if she is smart enough to realize that it was an experiment gone bad, she probably won't make THAT mistake again. As a nominee, I think Hillary IS inevitable - as a Presidential candidate, I hope not.

Listen- am I the only one that noticed that most of the stories on Politico Correctness over the last few days have been about Democrats? I mean damn, a Democratic candidate speaks and we hear about it from our good friends here at Politico Correctness..

Obama is scheduled to propose an amendment to campaign legislation, that would put an end to all public polls and surveys during local and national elections. Individual campaigns will be able to carry on their own polling, but these private polls will remain private to the campaigns alone. America needs a poll-free America. Week after week, we talk about different polls with different results and hail different people, depending on who's leading in a particular week. It's just insane. Thank God for Obama.

Carrie Budoff Brown..... I do not see the comparison between Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton ?In 2004, Howard Dean was the four term Governor of Vermont, who imploded in Iowa or New Hampshire. He came from nowhere to become the "favorite" of the press. The key to his success was his internet fund-raising. Was he clearly the front-runner or a creation of the press ? Hillary Clinton has been "vetted" by the press. Do you think she will implode if she loses a early primary ? Twice elected to the United States Senate, she served twice as First Lady. Her organization is composed of many Democratic insiders. If she loses along the campaign trail, it will be due to the success of the other candidates. It would be impossible for the other candidates to attack her the way Richard Gephardt attacked Howard Dean. What I am much more interested in is how the Republicans will attack her ? We know about their propincity for negative television advertising ? How would attack Hillary Clinton, without fearing a sexist backlash ? I am almost certain that her advisor, William Jefferson Clinton, has prepared responses to several scenarios.

As a nominee, I think Hillary IS inevitable - as a Presidential candidate, I hope not

All the Republics and their news outlets have "placed their bets" on HC winning the nomination. Obvious from the continued stories and pictures presented by the Politico and posters here. If the powers to be in the DNC decide she is the nominee her baggage will be her un-doing. HC nominated = a Republic in the WH. Only the voters in the primary will decide who will be the candidates on both sides. Hopefully some logic will prevail for the good of the American people.

VLAD THE IMPALER: "I thought Dean was set up for a fall by the press and way to much was made of his "primal" scream. All it proves is how much control the media has over politics. They are the real scum." That is EXACTLY how I saw the whole Dean fiasco .... the so-called msm put his candidacy to death and the three or four weeks leading up to the Iowa caucus the piled on Dean like no other. I still think the Dem lineup for 08 is the weakest in memory, the ONLY candidate with a second of actual (as opposed to Clinton's virtual) executive experience is Bill Richardson. The rest of them are fish out of water.

The Clinton/Dean comparison is totally valid - not as candidates, but in terms of campagn strategy. In 2004, the candidate leading big in the national polls put much of their able warchest into further solidifying a national campaign, while their chief financial rival, trailing by double digits in national polls, focused their resources on early states like Iowa. Who won that one again?

Hillary, as much as I hate her, looks like a shoe in to me. I thought Dean was set up for a fall by the press and way to much was made of his "primal" scream. All it proves is how much control the media has over politics. They are the real scum.

Ironically the only news venue that showed the real story behind the infamous primal scream was Fox News. They showed what the people in the room saw and heard. Totally different than what was showed everywhere else.

I wonder what Vince Foster would say about the CLINTONS, especially this piece of trash? You want taxes, she'll give them to you! You want Illegal Invaders, she can do that. You hate the Constitution, she will absolutely do away with it. You want to stand in line for months to see a SPECIALIST for a hang nail, just wait. Got to go pee, you get it, don't you?

She is hated more than she is favored. She is only there because of someone else. She has not succeeded in anything memorable, nor accomplished anything viable. She is a phoney, a liar, and the ultimate game player, promising higher taxes, unrealistic goals, and delusional dreams. She is Clinton, the ultimate mistake.

“I pledge to you, if you will support me in the caucus,” Clinton said, “I will work my heart out for you. … So please, take a hard look at my candidacy, judge me for who I am, see what I stand for and what I have done for 35 years, and join the campaign.”

Okay, she's a junior Senator from NY and a former first lady, had shady land deals and a possible lover who died of unconfirmed circumstances. I don't think that equals 35 years. What else has she done that qualifies her as POTUS? Someone please answer that for me.

A well-timed attack on freedom of the press should get him up there in the polls... when you're down as far as that stuffed suit is, you gotta do something! hahaha He'll be lost in obscurity a year from now. media darlings fall from the sky, ask Dean and McCain--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I'd love a POLE free society, and Barry Obama is CERTAINLY one of those.

Sedona: I believe Hillary has smartly decided to stop concealing the progressive agenda and to frame it semantically in a manner that will have great appeal to for a wide spectrum of Americans that range from the hard left to the soft right.

A lot of Republicans say that Hillary is hated by conservatives and has a repulsive speaking style but she has done a good job with her speaking and appearance and her continued presence on the national stage for nearly sixteen years makes her sort of reassuring - a comforting mother figure even to people who say that they'll vote against her...

If you combine her new (and breath taking) direct presentation of the progressive agenda and all of the improvements that HRC has made with the poor stewardship of the core conservative values voters/patriots of the Republican Party by President Bush that is truning off millions of life-long Republicans, I really think that she has a great shot at being president in 2009.

And while I don't support her because her policies will result in even larger government and less individual liberty than we have now, her administration probably won't kill us - all.

She'll likely be the Jimmy Carter of her generation which will open the door to the next Reagan - likely after an attack on Israel by the Iranian/Syrian Jihaddists in concert with another 9/11 on American soil, the taking of the island of Formosa by Red China, the attempted return of the American southwest to the Republic of Mexico and probably a severe recession brought on by her version of a national carbon tax and her federalization of the American healthcare industry.

She'll be a one term president and then those patriots that are left can get on with the business of restoring America's Liberty for future generations.

Crazy! I went to a little barbcue on Sunday-by the way the food was fantastic- cooked by an Afro/American neighbor. In any even some nice "WHITE" lady informed me I was a racist if I didn't vote for Hillary or Obama. They must put something in the water at her home!

The trick to really really good barbecue is to cook it long and slow. I have to be careful here or Politico Correctness will get out the old Tazer. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

But I'm not going to vote for her. I voted for Kerry only because I hated Bush. I voted for someone like Kerry not because I believed in him but because I hated the opponent. I won't make that mistake again.

Hillary has proven that she is a supreme member of the status quo. She voted for the war in Iraq. She wants the war to continue. I don't trust her. She take lobbyist money and then claims she holds no allegiance to them.